Hidden Feelings
by PinkMonkee
Summary: Engaged to his fiancee, Keiko, Rima's devastated and actually falls off the bridge. How will Shiki react to his? Will they ever find love with each other?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight**

Sitting on the rail of the bridge, I swung my legs back and forth and began writing my aching heart out. I can't believe it. I just can't accept _it._ Just when I thought everything was perfect like the pieces in a puzzle, the world turns upside down. Why? Why did he do it? _I thought he loved me_ I wrote in my diary as a gust of cold, beastly wind blew furiously, blowing my pigtails back but I couldn't feel its coldness in the wind because my heart had already turned to ice. We were like one—the wind and I.

Slowly rising up on the rail with the support of the metal bar beside me, I leaned my head against the cold metal structure, thinking in retrospect.

We shared too many wonderful and vivid memories—from when we were toddlers playing with each other to kids starting to understand the world and now to adulthood where love begins to bloom, but in the end he decided to choose that girl whom he had been modeling with for about a year now. At first, he felt reluctant to go to France and model but the modeling company insisted him on going, so he went and that's where he met his fiancée who he should be happily beguiling time with now (in Japan where I live). Someone who is not me, the person I thought was special and important in his life. I've known him for a much longer time than she has and by the way, the girl's name is Keiko, and she is indeed beautiful. Too beautiful for words actually—she's got light, wavy brown hair, big piercing hazel eyes, gorgeous pink lips, and a flawless round face. Her body was just perfect. She was skinny, had the curves, and you know the ideal parts a beautiful woman would possess.

Reflecting and thinking back of what Shiki had announced earlier at the reception pained me. His face was filled with such joy and contentment as he told everyone that he and Keiko were engaged whereas my heart shattered into pieces of glass as I heard those words drift through the air ensuing cheers and applauses (from everyone) exploding the room. Everyone was glad that his heart has finally settled on somebody who will make him forever a happy husband.

Even though I was saddened by such appalling news, I still went up to him with a big smile on my lip and congratulated him. He grinned and thanked me as others were distracting and wishing for the best to him and his fiancée.

Rapidly, I turned my back to him and everyone else, darting for the exit. Tears were forming in my eyes and streamed down as I hopped into my car. I wanted to run away from this nightmare…so I drove to the bridge, the place where I'm currently at now.

The words he said to Keiko, "I love you with all my heart Keiko," echoed in my head. And that kiss he gave her wouldn't stop replaying itself in my mind. It was so disconcerting and unbearable for me to accept and even worst to have remembered it clearly as if I were watching it on T.V. right now.

"STOP!" I screamed with all my might, losing my footing on the railing, I fell off and plunged into the icy water.

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 2 is up guys! Tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knights**

"Hope you will have a blissful and happy future with Keiko!"

"Good Luck guys!"

"Best wishes to the both of you!"

And the congratulations and wishes continued on for hours until the party ended.

While servants and workers were cleaning the mansion (where Shiki lived), Shiki turned to Keiko who was standing beside him and said, "Keiko, my love, it's getting late and I think it's best for you to go home and get some rest."

She looked at him warily with a faint smile plastered on her lips and then agreed, "I think you are right."

"I'll escort you to the car," Shiki said as he wrapped one arm around her waist and started strolling, taking their precious time getting to the car.

When they reached the limousine that was waiting, Shiki opened the door and gestured her to go inside.

"Thank you," she said gratefully and slipped inside but before closing door shut, Shiki bent down to kiss her gently on the lip, and was suddenly beginning to fall over her.

She giggled and then mocked him, saying, "Oh you!" she pushed him and laughed heart fully, "Go get some rest yourself!"

And with that she slammed the door shut, being driven off home.

Shiki watched her go until he could no longer see the limousine.

Turning back to the house, he walked slowly with his hands slipped into his pockets.

When he entered his mansion, it looked a lot cleaner and more "home-like" than what the reception had made it look like—a party with many wonderful and formal decorations such as balloons and music hovering in the air as well as people chattering on and on, but overall, it was fun.

"Nice work guys," Shiki acknowledged the workers.

In response, they grinned in a very friendly manner and continued on with cleaning.

Shiki then headed towards the stairs, located on the left-hand side of the floor he was on (which is the guest room where the party took place), and started climbing up to the second floor.

He eagerly rushed to his room, ready to sleep after one long and exhausting night.

Swinging the door open to his room, he saw that his television was turned on.

"Huh…I must have forgotten to turn it off," he mumbled, moving himself to where the television is (corner of his room) to turn it off.

But before he had done so, the news flashed on the television, something that caught his attention.

A 50 year-old man with whitish-brown hair, golden-yellow eyes, fair skin, and somewhat stout was wearing a black suit appeared on the screen, introducing himself, "This is Jim reporting on Juicy News live!"

Then Jim ambled over to a couple of officers—firemen, rescue team, investigators, and policemen. There was an ambulance in the background and the sirens on top of cars showed that they were around the bridge.

"So," Jim went up to one of the officers, pointing the microphone at them, ", may I ask what happened at the bridge late on this evening?"

The officer cleared his throat then in a gruff voice said, "Well, apparently someone attempted suicide this night."

Jim widen his eyes in shock and confusion then inquired, "Oh really? Have we identified the person's body?"

"We think we might have her name. However, we cannot be too certain because it's from the diary she clutched onto while her body was floating above water," told Jim then took out a picture of a young girl with orange hair tied in pigtails. "Her diary identifies the young girl as Rima Touya."

Shiki's eyes widen at the name as the screen showed the picture of Rima.

"Rima?" Shiki whispered, a bit traumatized.

"No, it can't be," he laughed nervously, shaking his head. "That can't be right. I mean, she was just with us at the party not too long ago," he said roughly.

"I see," Jim nodded as Shiki gave his attention back to the television.

"And at this moment, she's being sent to the general hospital," the officer informed the reporter, frowning at the screen.

"Oh…poor girl," Jim bit his lip, "anyway, that wraps our news for tonight! Thank you for watching! Again, this is Jim reporting on Juicy News live! Have a wonderful night!"

Then the television screened over to commercials.

Shiki reached over the power button and switched off the television.

He plopped himself on bed and whispered, "Rima…why?"

Averting his gaze, he stared out at the bridge that was conspicuous from his house, and then he grew pensive about Rima and her intention of suicide.

_Why did she do it?_ He thought, slightly frustrated, his brow furrowed and hand clutched into a fist.

_She made one of the stupidest choices in the world. If she was sad, why didn't she talk with anyone about it?_

With so many questions and thoughts popping into his mind, he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Okay, that's it," he concluded, standing up abruptly and suddenly darted out of his bedroom door with his arms pumping rapidly and down the steps to the front door.

_I'm going to get some answers directly from her_, he thought.

A/N: It'd be greatly appreciated if you reviewed :D Thank you for those who have reviewed! They make me happy :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter 3 is up! Whoohoo!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.**

Shiki came to a halt in his car once he arrived at the front of the hospital. Not caring about how his car was parked, he rapidly removed himself from the vehicle and bolted for the hospital doors.

He opened them forcefully with so much strength that a gust of wind blew behind him.

He then padded over to the nursing station and asked rather quickly and breathlessly, "Excuse me, but do you have any idea where Rima Touya might be?"

The old lady glanced at him oddly, lowering her glasses at him, then dialed some numbers on the phone and asked about Rima's whereabouts in the hospital.

"Yes, that's her. Thank you very much," she said politely, slamming the phone, she replied to Shiki's question, "She's currently in the emergency room and they're doing a body examination. It'd be best if there no were no visitors at this hour."

Shiki shrugged then said, "Thanks, but I'm going to visit my friend."

The old lady sighed, saying under her breath, "Young people these days…they just don't listen to you."

_Rima, _Shiki's thoughts and brain only focused on that girl the whole way as he ran into the emergency room (down the hall from the nursing stations) , barging in and surprising the doctors.

Shiki stood there, breathing heavily; his eyes scanned the room and saw orangey hair spilled around the pillow of the bed.

"Rima!" he shouted, jostling and shoving doctors aside then grabbed her cold hand. He started sobbing.

"Excuse me sir, but you can't come barging into this room until all examinations have been completed," a doctor spoke up.

Ignoring him, Shiki yelled, "Rima! Can you hear me? You stupid girl! Why did you jump off the bridge?" His voice cracked among the words as he tried to regain composure.

Without another warning from the doctors, security crashed into the emergency room seeing who might have caused a disruption. They were dressed in black and had a star-shaped badge attached to their shirt. Being obvious that Shiki was the intruder, the men went over to him and politely requested, "Please leave this room or else we'll use force."

Shiki screamed loudly and dug his head into still Rima's body. "I can't leave her! I don't know what's going to happen to her if I leave! What if she dies? Rima!! Don't leave me crying here! You better have a strong heart! Because if you die, I'll never forgive you or myself!"

The security guards lowered their sunglasses and shot glances at each other deciding and confirming whether they should just drag him out or not.

Without further notice, two men hook arms around Shiki's and began dragging him out with much difficulty. "Come on buddy, let's get moving," one of the officer said but Shiki tried restraining their force—he tried shaking his arms and made wiggling movements.

"Let go of me!!" he screamed like a maniac but just kept sliding until he was out of the emergency room and was then sent to the waiting room which happens to be next door. They pushed him inside and he nearly fell over.

"Stay here unless otherwise informed about the emergency room's condition," one man ordered him while beating a stick against his own palm.

Shiki ignored him and he sat by the window, scrolling through his cell-phone list to call people and friends and tell them what has happened.

When the officers felt confident that Shiki wouldn't cause anymore trouble and would behave, they left him alone.

"Hey Ruka? Yeah, it's me, Shiki. Come to the hospital. Oh, tell Akatsuki to drop by with you too," Shiki said over the phone and the seriousness in his tone left Ruka responding with an "okay".

Shiki then called another person, "Hey Aidou. No, I'm not one of your fangirls, but if you could attentively listen, please come to the general hospital. Something happened to Rima," Shiki sighed as Aidou continued blabbering on the phone and talked nonsense.

"Rima? What did she do? She got too drunk? Or she's pregnant with somebody's baby? Or—," Shiki cut him off with, "GOD DAMN IT Aidou, just get your butt here and you'll understand!" he yelled through the phone and immediately ended the call afterwards.

And the next person on the list was Takuma.

"Takuma--," Shiki started. "Oh? So you've heard? At least somebody did. All right, I'll see you soon."

_Thank god, at least somebody knows._

"Kaname…erm Yuuki, sorry to interrupt your vacation but I just wanted to inform you that…our dear friend, Rima has attempted suicide. If you get a chance to call back, please do so," Shiki left a message for them, assuming that they were on their airplane on their way to England to have some alone time.

"Hey Seiren, where are you? Wow…you're that far? Listen, could you stop by the hospital sometime soon? It's something important." Shiki told Seiren as she seemed to be heading back home to her parents.

_Okay, so everyone has been informed…I guess I should just wait now, _Shiki thought as he gazed outside the midnight moon which was shining its pale light among the city. He also averted his eyes to the conspicuous bridge, calculating howfar down Rima could have possibly fallen._ It looks like a pretty deep jump from here, _Shiki observed.

"Sigh, I hope she is well," Shiki barely whispered.

_Rima, she's a very good friend of mine. We've been together since the start of high school freshmen year…so up to now, it's been six years that we've known each other. And we have an intimate relationship with each other. We got so close because of both modeling and schooling. We've always been there for each other, watching out for each other and whatnot. But now, I feel like…I have failed to do that as a good friend or should I say best friend. A miserable world this place is…why today anyway? Out of all days that she could have done so…_

Shiki had all these thoughts running in his head and was about to continue reminiscing until Takuma popped out of nowhere.

"Hey Shiki," Takuma walked into the waiting room, looking casual.

Shiki had his elbow propped by his knees as his hands were holding onto his head, trying to rip hair out of his head.

He was silent for a moment or two before he spoke up and greeted, "Hey Takuma..."

Takuma took a seat next to Shiki and looked at him with concern.

"Shiki, man what are you thinking about? Surely, we're all concern about Rima and her condition," Takuma said quietly.

Shiki inhaled and then exhaled deeply, hands moving over to cover his face.

"Takuma, I've been thinking…it's just that this suicidal attempt is too sudden."

"I mean…like she could have done it any other day but why tonight? The day when I announce the engagement between Keiko and me? Isn't it a bit odd?"

Takuma rubbed his chin and had his lips curved up towards one side of his mouth, thinking critically he said, "It could be a coincidence. Or…she just decided to go for the jump out of the blue. Who knows? Although she has been quiet lately, she doesn't talk as much as she used to. Have you noticed that? I wonder why."

_I also wonder_, Shiki thought, removing his hands from his face and just placed them in front of himself, staring into his palms as if invisible answers were written on them.

"We haven't talked much," Shiki suddenly said aloud.

Takuma nodded his head in agreement, "That's right, you've been busy lately with your fiancée."

"Yeah, it takes months to plan and you know…" Shiki trailed off because a nurse appeared in the waiting room.

She donned on a blue fabric shirt and some white pants with a clipboard in hand. She also wore a name tag that read "Lizzy"

"Rima Touya has been examined. And--," the nurse was caught by surprise at Shiki's reaction.

Once the nurse came into the room, Shiki speedily came up to her and seized both of the nurse's arms and started shaking her violently with a worried expression on his face.

"Is she well? How is she? When…?" He bombarded her with all these questions. The nurse looked at him nervously and gulped.

Takuma laid a hand on Shiki's shoulder and calmly told him, "Shiki, calm down. You're scaring the nurse and one other thing, let the nurse finish talking."

Shiki winced at that and released his grip, scratching his head sheepishly, he mumbled, "Oh sorry."

"Thank you," the nurse smiled at Takuma who grinned in return.

"As I was saying, Rima is fine, but I'm afraid you wouldn't be too pleased with the shocking news I'm about to tell you," she hesitated and then breathed out slowly with a remorseful look on her face.

"I'm sorry friends of Rima, but she may be in a coma."

If you want to know what happens next, review! xD I'd love to know your opinion xP


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: yay Ch4 is up! I think I sort of rushed it a bit...tell me if I did. **

A dreaded silence filled the room.

"A coma?" Takuma spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Possibly, and we don't have the slightest clue when she may awaken from her deep slumber. It can be tomorrow, next week, in a month…we don't know," the nurse explained, shrugging her shoulders.

"But…she just jumped off the bridge and into the water. How can…?" Shiki was lost in words and remained as doubtful as ever.

"Shiki, anything can happen," Takuma reminded him.

"I guess so," he sighed and sudden burst, "wait, what are we doing in the waiting room? Let's go see Rima!"

He quickly dismissed himself from the room with Takuma on his tail but he was ambling and had his composure, not all panicky and worried like Shiki.

Somewhere inside Takuma, he knew Rima would be all right.

When Shiki entered the room, he saw that Ruka, Akatsuki, and Adiou were already there.

Ruka was sitting and had a gloomy expression on her face, her eyes were narrowed to the floor and a hand was laid above Rima's, she looked like she had cried not too long ago.

Beside Ruka was Akatsuki who had a calm complexion plastered on his face but his eyes gazed at Rima with concern.

Aidou was on the other side of the bed, close to the window where the spectacular sight of the city is. He didn't appear cheery and jocular like he'd normally behave.

His cerulean eyes were just flickering back and forth between Rima and the window…

They all turned their heads up to see who has entered the room.

"Shiki…," they all acknowledged, nodding their heads.

Shiki only managed to give a weak smile as he was walking over to Rima's bed, standing beside Aidou.

Takuma got inside the room as well but he stood at the bottom side of the bed.

"So…," Ruka said hesitantly, her voice was quivering slightly.

Shiki could only guess that they had been informed about Rima's state.

"What happened to our poor Rima? Why did she end up like this?" Ruka couldn't help but break into tears, her chest was heaving violently as tears slid down across her cheek.

Akatsuki averted his gaze over to Ruka and laid a hand on her shoulder, indicating that everyone feels the same.

Ruka sniffled, using the back of her hand to dab and wipe the endless tears forming in her eyes.

"Well…sadly enough, she decided to," Shiki spoke up then became tentative as he quietly said, "suicide at the bridge."

"She _what_?" Aidou said aloud, looking at Shiki, too shock to even register that into his mind.

Takuma closed his eyes and crossed his arms, telling the gang once more, "Rima decided to commit suicide at the bridge."

Then a sudden burst of wailing came from Ruka.

She dug her hand into Rima's sheets and cried, "Rima! How could you ever do this to yourself? Baka! Allowing the sadness eat you up. I knew it was bad and that you were suffering," then she cracked, "but never in my life did I think it was this bad."

She continued crying then wailed, "Rima! Come back to us! I need you…"

"Rima was sad?" Takuma asked a bit surprised.

Ruka sobbed and said in between her sobs, "Yes…she was depress," then she threw her glance over to Shiki, "because Shiki has been gone for a year and shortly after, she found out he's dating somebody else."

"First, she cried for countless nights and I'd call her to see how she is. Eventually she got over it, according to what she's told me because she'd figured that you two would break up," she continued.

"And I guess tonight's reception blew it off. It went beyond what she is capable of managing. I had a feeling she'd know what the inevitable is going to be but she went to the reception to make everyone happy especially you, Shiki."

Suddenly, she stood up from her seat and stalked around the bed to where Shiki is standing.

Seizing him roughly and tightly by his shoulder, she shook him mentally and violently, shouting, "Shiki! You're so blind. Can't you tell that she's been in love with you ever since she first saw you in high school freshman year? You guys have been modeling for five years together now, excluding last year where you spent your time in France. But _five years_ Shiki, _five_. In those five years, Rima was hoping and waiting for that magical moment. That day where you'd asked her to become your girlfriend but sadly," Ruka loosen her grip and turned her head away from him, staring down at floor, "you've been love blind all that time."

Shiki was startled from this and managed to squeak out, "I only saw her as a friend, well, a close one but never a mate."

Ruka's eyes met his blue ones, she glared at him, then growled and slapped him harshly, "Listen to me Shiki! You're the cause of this suicidal attempt. I swear if she doesn't wake up anytime soon. I will kill you with my bare hands." And after venting, Ruka bolted out of the room, all teary again with Akatsuki looking over at Shiki, shaking his head and trailed after Ruka.

Shiki held the smarting part of his cheek. It pained him.

"I guess she felt jealous," Aidou said.

Shiki who was speechless just plopped onto bed.

Takuma clears his throat and says quietly, "Say Aidou, let's grab some coffee."

"And a donut with that too!" Aidou said as they both started exiting the room.

"Hey Shiki?" Takuma called

"Hmm?" he responded.

"Do you want anything?" Takuma asked.

"No. I'm fine," Shiki replied.

In retrospect, he thought about what Ruka had said earlier:

"_Shiki! You're so blind. Can't you tell that she's been in love with you ever since she first saw you in high school freshman year? You guys have been modeling for five years together now, excluding last year where you spent your time in France. But five years Shiki, five. In those five years, Rima was hoping and waiting for that magical moment. That day where you'd asked her to become your girlfriend, but sadly you've been love blind all that time."_

Shiki just rubbed the temple of his head as he turned his body to face Rima who was lying in bed perfectly still.

Her face looked to serene. She looked so innocent. She was once a happy girl but he knew that he probably wouldn't see her smile after what happened today at the reception.

He stared at her and then started talking, "So…Rima you've been in love with me for five years."

"I had been too dense to sense this because I've only seen you as a good friend," he said quietly, reaching for her hand and intertwining it with his.

"But…," he choked, "never did I think that I have been hurting you for so long. I never had a chance to return these feelings because I'm still not convinced to being in love with you," he softly kissed Rima's gentle and smooth hand as he mumbled out adamantly, "My heart still belongs to Keiko."

He sat there in silence, muffling a cry with his other hand clenched into a fist.

Then…something shiny on the table beside the bed caught his eye.

A book.

No, wait her diary.

It was still wet but he grasped it into his hands, eager to read the entries written inside of this diary. He couldn't care less about privacy because he desperately wants to see the truth before his eyes—that she genuinely and sincerely loves him from the bottom of her heart. And he also wanted to know what has been going through her mind lately and back then—when she was normal and happy.

Flipping through random pages in the diary, he started looking for interesting titles to read about—strangely enough, all her entries were titled with something, but Shiki decided to only read the ones that caught his interest.

After skimming through several of pages, he found an intriguing title, "Love at First Sight"

He started reading.

_Dear Diary, _

_You know how people believe in love at first sight? Well, I think I do too. When I first saw him enter the classroom doors (high school freshmen year) I knew that he'd be the one for me. _

_My heart fluttered as his shoes clicked the floor and I couldn't stop ogling at him. He was so…beautiful. His dashing ocean-blue eyes, chest-nut shaggy hair, a nice chin, nose, and perfect sized lips that I dreadfully want to have a taste of…and his body was just like the perfect model, so flawless. _

_What was ironic and scary is that he took the seat next to me. I swear we were meant be together. It's got to be fate or at least God has decided for us._

_A bit bashful and having butterflies in my stomach, I stared at him with the corner of my eye even though, it was straining my vision, it was worth it._

_Sigh, he looked so serene when listening to the teacher give out instructions and whatnot. To me, he was just a distraction from learning in this class. How I wish this was a modeling studio so that we can both do shoots and be superstars together and forever. We could be taking photos on the bridge, the moon, wherever…and it'd be absolutely perfect._

_Halfway through my daydreaming, he suddenly tapped my shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my chair, a bit shocked from his movement._

_"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" he apologized softly, "anyway, we're supposed to be interviewing our partners and since you happen to be sitting next to me, I guess we can start learning more about each other."_

_Regaining my composure, I glanced at him nervously and stuttered, "I-I-I see…"_

_Sensing my tension, he smiled warmly and gently offered his hand, introducing himself, "Hello, my name is Shiki."_

_I gulped, and with a trembling and sweaty hand, I merged it with his big, warm, and rough hands, shaking it weakly._

_"M-my name is Rima," I choked out._

_"Nice to meet you Rima," he smiled sweetly._

_That smile was so dead-drop gorgeous that I could faint on the spot if I were able to, but I had to be strong, so I returned a weak smile._

_"So…," he started. "We're supposed to be talking about ourselves. Why don't you ask me some questions since I began the introduction." He looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes._

_My heart skipped another beat and I could feel a blush crawling on my cheeks as my brain quickly tried making up questions but nothing came to mind._

_Noticing the silence, Shiki spoke up. "All right then, no questions will be necessary. I guess we will talk amongst ourselves. As you know, I'm Senri Shiki. My family is composed of three people: Dad, mom, and me. My favorite color is black. And I enjoy hanging out, watching t.v. especially comedy shows, reading books, chilling, and exploring the world around us. Now, it's your turn," he gestured his at me and seemed to be all ears to what I have to say._

_I swallowed the lump in my throat as my body becomes overwhelmed with anxiety. Well, here goes nothing, I thought to myself._

_"I'm Rima Touya. I have no siblings, just my parents and me. And I have no favorite color. Colors were made and meant to be equally favored by everyone. Some of my favorite hobbies are: modeling, beguiling time with friends, and being lazy," I said rather quickly though. _

_A wave of relief filled my body as soon as I blurted everything out that I had to say. _

_"Modeling?" he asked surprisingly, "you do modeling too?"_

_I nodded my head, feeling a bit awkward that he had asked. I mean, really, who cares? Okay, I didn't mean it that way, but still…no one really freaks out. They just tell me that it's cool that I model._

_"I do too!" he exclaimed and his face had definitely lightened up. "Well, I was just invited to model with the "ProModeling" company. Where do you model at?" he asked enthusiastically._

_Did he just say "ProModeling"? God, don't tell me he did. There is no way! This is just too good to be true. Someone pinch me._

_"Hey, uh Rima, are you there?" Shiki waved a hand in front of my blank expression._

_"Eh?" I quirked an eyebrow at him and then my conscience told me, 'he just asked you something and you totally freaked out when he told you where he is going to model at you idiot'._

_I scratched my head sheepishly and pointed at him, saying, "Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, I kind of spaced out at first, but guess what? I coincidentally happen to model at the same place as you!" I laughed with glee._

_"Really?" he looked at me with excitement, his eyes widen and he beamed at me. "I really look forward into working with you. But that is up to the manager to decide," he said with slight disappointment._

_Then, I too sudden had the desire to work with him. I hope the manager pairs him up with me, I prayed mentally._

_The rest of the class period was pleasant but went by too quickly._

_At the end of class, as I was going to the modeling studio, I couldn't help but smile at the thought that we had so much in common. We talked a lot and became acquainted after introducing ourselves and getting into the topic of modeling…sigh, this is my heaven. I better tell Ruka about this when I get home from modeling._

_As I approached the black medium-sized building with large windows on the front, I peered through the glass to see my manager and Shiki…?_

_My manager, a man in his mid 40's with short, brown hair and golden-yellow eyes (he wears glasses too), and has skin that is starting to wrinkle, waved at him then beckoned me to come enter the building and I quickly entered._

_"Excellent! Now the two of you are finally here!" my manager whose name is Hiroshi, clapped happily and laughed._

_I looked at him quizzical, not understanding the meaning of this then asked, "Um…Hiroshi, what is it?"_

_"I have news for the both of you!" he exclaimed as he waved his hands in the air._

"_You two will be modeling partners!" he squealed in a girly way and then fluttered his long eyelashes at me._

_I blinked at him and wasn't able to register the words that entered my ear. 'You two will be modeling partners' my brain had a difficult time understanding the meaning of this. Then it hit me. _

_I smiled in delight and said, "That's great!"_

_"I know it is my dear and that's why I'm so happy!" Hiroshi came up to me and embraced me tightly._

_He squeezed me so tightly that I could hardly breathe, "Hiro—Hiroshi, you're making me suffocate," I choked._

_"I am?" he loosens his embrace and then stepped back, looking at me from top to bottom to see if I was in normal state. He then starts rubbing his chin._

_"Oh!" he was suddenly reminded as he pointed his index finger to the ceiling, "Have you guys met each other? How could I forget that you guys must be foreign with each other? Come Shiki," he beckoned Shiki over as he pulled me by the arm. _

_We both looked hesitantly at each other._

_"Now, now, don't be shy," Hiroshi teased._

_Shiki chuckled, "Manager Hiroshi, we forgot to mention earlier that we've already met."_

_Manager Hiroshi seemed extremely delighted to hear that, for his eyes widen and his grin grew real big, which usually meant that something was up his sleeve._

_I gave a threatening look at Shiki and he just returned a quizzical expression then I mouthed, 'he's probably planning to do something right now.'_

_Shiki furrowed his brow and nodded, looking at the manager._

_Attempting to stop his plan or whatever he's got in his mind, I started inching away from him, reminding Hiroshi, "Say, Hiroshi, I should get going to my runway." _

_Sudden a hand grasps my wrist, "Not so fast missy, I just had a sudden idea," he looked onto the blank wall with star-twinkling eyes and a grin was plastered on his lip. _

_I gulped and sighed, "Erm…Hiroshi, what do you have in mind?"_

"_A shoot!" he says with alacrity as he releases my hand and makes a camera with his hands, pretending to take snapshots._

"_But--," I jumped in before he cuts me, "Rima, we can do the shoot after the runway, right??" he twitches both of his eyebrows at me._

_Being the persistent man he is, I couldn't say 'no', so I reluctantly said, "Sure."_

"_Whoo! Don't worry, you won't keep us waiting because Shiki is going to do a runway too!" he clasps his hand and starts twirling like a mad tornado but gracefully._

_I arched an eyebrow at Shiki then shook my head, and mouthed to him, 'Just watch out for the manager. He can be a bit demented at times'._

_Shiki smiled pleasantly and waved to me as I was walking away from them and towards the woman department, located down the hallway to the right which leads you outside to this pathway to another building that is taller and bigger._

_I entered the building and was greeted by several of people including photographers, make-up artists and stylists, as well as other models. _

_"Hey Rima," one of the models called for me. I turned my head to look for the face, and when I did, I asked, "What?"_

_"Did you hear about the new model? Shiki?" she questioned me._

_"Yeah, he's going to be working with me," I smiled._

_"Really? He's a cute one. You're so lucky!" she squealed and then went back to checking the mirror._

_Yeah, I know I'm lucky right?_

_The runway was fun. I got a chance to don on some of the latest fashions and show them off in front of many people. It feels great to be beautiful. But what I don't like about it is all the rushing involved and it being chaotic in the dressing room._

_After the runway, I already felt exhausted as I took a seat in front of the mirror, looking back at myself. _

_"Would you like a bottle of water?" someone offered me._

_"Yes, I would," I gladly accepted it and thanked him._

_Drinking the water helped me regain my energy in some way; it was just the refreshing taste that restored my worn-out body. _

_After having a few more sips, I took a glance at my watch: it says 6'o clock. _

_I should get going to the photo shooting with Shiki; I bet they are expecting me._

_Leaving with great hurry, I stashed my belongings into my bag and ran back to the other building._

_Once I got back to the model studio, I followed a straight pathway to a wooden door and knocked on it gently._

_I watched the knob twist and the door opened, revealing Hiroshi, a photographer, and Shiki in trunks._

_Looking at Shiki's bare chest (which was all sparkly from all the water reflecting the lighting in the room) and wet hair made me blush slightly, so I turned my head away from the doorway and said quietly, "Hiroshi, how could you let me in when Shiki is…"_

_"My dear Rima! Shiki is supposed to be in trunks and wet. We're doing a photo shoot with beach scenery!" he explained as he gave me a set of bikinis to change into._

_I just stared at the bikinis in my hand, dumbfounded. _

_"Rima, now isn't the right time to be dawdling," Hiroshi tapped my shoulder and reminded me in a friendly and patient manner._

_"Yes, Hiroshi," I narrowed my eyes to the ground, "I'll be back in a second."_

_And I rushed into the dressing room, across the photo shooting area. I'm so nervous about this shoot. This is like my first time doing a shoot with a guy who is nearly a nude. Gosh, in my five years of modeling, I've never felt like this before—my heart is throbbing wildly and my cheeks are probably all flushed, and I feel slightly dizzy…_

_Rapidly, stripping everything off, I put on the bikini. I felt so exposed, but it's what Hiroshi wants for the shoot and I might as well do it in case any of the future shoots I'll be doing involves a bikini and a nude dude. Moreover, he wanted to do this shoot to advertise the brand we're both wearing. It's the way money comes into our company through advertisement on brands, perfumes and whatever can be retailed. _

_Anyway, so I'm checking myself out in the mirror one last time—the mirror shows a girl with long, golden-orange hair donning a baby blue bikini. In my opinion, I looked decent for the shoot although, I must admit, Hiroshi has some taste in my matching._

_I let out a big huff and left the dressing room, entering the photo shoot area where everyone (It's only three people) laid eyes on me._

_"Gorgeous! Beautiful!" Hiroshi smiled delightfully and clapped wildly._

_I twitched my lip as I started walking to the stage where the photo will be captured. (is she still nervous?)_

_"Hey Rima," Shiki greeted me._

_I lifted my head up to meet his gaze and I found myself facing a bucket of water, which he poured on top of me._

_"Hey!" I screamed, smacking him playfully, "what was that for?"_

_He laughed and said, "The photographer apparently wants us wet. Why do you think I was wet when you first saw me?"_

_"Well…you could have used warm water and not that cold, icy one," I shivered as a ripple of goose bumps formed on both of my arms and other limbs._

_"It's going to be okay," he patted my shoulder, "you'll be warm in no time. Trust me."_

_"Okay! Enough dilly-dallying, it's time to take some pictures!" Hiroshi hollered through a speaker as he grabbed a seat near the doorway which is like a couple meters from where we are._

_"Rima," he pointed at me, "you see that rock? Yeah, I want you to be lying on it while Shiki is hovering above you."_

_I shot my glance at the rock, which is fairly big and round, and I walk over to it, lying on top of it like I was told._

_Shiki followed right after me and placed his hands beside both sides of my head._

_From the corner of my eye, I could tell Hiroshi was still pondering whether this pose was decent or not. Turns out he wanted to go to the extremes._

_"Hey Shiki, you guys might want to nuzzle," Hiroshi shouted._

_Shiki lowered himself so close to me that I felt like he had sucked up my soul and sent me to heaven where I felt like I was in right now—my heart was pounding rapidly that I could feel it pumping out of my chest. Our lips were mere inches apart, and our eyes were locked with each others…I could feel his hot breath on my skin and his face was just plain beautiful. There are no words to describe the likes of him. _

_The scenery actually felt quite romantic, considering the blue background, fake sand and waves in the scene not to mention the seagulls flying around._

"_Now, to make the finishing touches," Hiroshi says while doing his signature move which was to make a 'V' with his thumb and index finger and put it below his chin, "Rima, wrap your arms around his neck and keep the face you have. You guys definitely have chemistry with each other. I love the intimacy!"_

_My arms automatically swung around Shiki's warm neck without my eyes ever blinking or parting from his._

"_All right, now stay still," Hiroshi ordered and told his photographer to start snapping pictures like a maniac. Hiroshi, himself was taking advantage of this opportunity too, he was moving around back and forth, left to right, like a crab and taking loads of picture._

"_Just to make things more interesting, could you guys possibly show some of your own poses?" Hiroshi suggested with a desperate urge—man, this guy is really growing deranged about us._

"_Hey Shiki, how about you sit on the other side of this rock facing the opposite direction while I narrow my eyes at the ground but looking towards your direction?" I proposed._

"_Sounds good and I'm suggesting our next pose," he agreed and grinned at me._

"_Fine," I said._

_Shiki removed himself and walked over to the other side of the rock doing what I told him to do and sat there, all relax, and looking afar to the endless sandy beach while I sat up and crossed one leg over the other, my hands were prone to the rock, and tilted my head at an angle with my eyes narrowing towards his direction._

"_Nice going guys, I love it!" Hiroshi squealed, chuckling as he flashed his camera at us._

"_Okay, my turn," Shiki spoke up, facing me with a smirk on his lip._

"_What have you got?" I challenged him._

"_We're going to be lying down on the sand. We'll be opposite from each other but our head will be next to each others. We'll be facing one another. Have your arms sprawl out but in a graceful way, and also look breathless as I look seriously into your eyes," he told me._

_"Is that supposed to be a daunting task?" I tease._

_He shrugs and says, "We'll see." As we positioned ourselves, I found it to be quite harder than he had explained. I don't know why…the intensity and stare from his eyes make it so nerve-racking! I'd wiggle and shoot glances elsewhere, a bit tense from his burning blue eyes._

_He could tell from the way I was looking at him that I was having a difficult time doing the task, so he smirked at me._

_I glared at him for a split second because Hiroshi was yet again ready to take more photos. _

_Snap, snap, snap…photos were being taken as I was trying to threaten Shiki with my evil stare._

_He only smiled at me._

_"Okay, we're good!" Hiroshi announced, "You guys did great! Go home and get some well-deserved rest!"_

_We both got up and nodded at him, saying in unison, "See you later Hiroshi!" as we were walking to get changed in the dressing room._

_When we closed the door to the photo shoot room behind us, Shiki finally let his laughter get into him._

_"You see? I told you it'd be hard! I've tried this so many times and every time, the female always looks uncomfortable when we do that sort of shoot," he said arrogantly._

_I remained silent and just went straight into the changing room._

_As I was changing inside into my casual clothes, outside the door, Shiki was saying, "Oh come on Rima, don't take it personally. I didn't mean to tease you or anything…"_

_Once I got my jacket buttoned up, I opened the door and gave him a deadly stare._

_"Whoa, loosen up that face now," he looks at me steadily then disfigures his own face. His pulled his cheeks, rolled up his eyes, and stuck out his tongue. It was hilarious._

_I couldn't help but break into a smile._

"_There is with her beautiful smile," he looked at me happily._

_I shrugged, quirking an eyebrow, I said flatly, "Shouldn't you get changed?"_

"_Oh yeah!" he suddenly exclaimed, touching his arm, "I should. Well, see you in school tomorrow Rima." He waved and ran off._

_A strange guy he is yet I still like him a lot. Not because of his beauty (that was the first reason) but now his personality is great. He's friendly and appears to be romantic. Hopefully, my high school years with him will be the best. That is, only if he and I contact, but I'm pretty sure we'll be doing plenty._

Don't forget to leave me a review or any criticism. I'm pretty sure this chapter dragged...


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, here is another diary entry. I'm actually going to post up a few more...then the story will continue **

_Be Mine?_

_Dear Diary,_

_It's Valentine's Day and the same crap happens every year…guys and girls confess their undying love for another and so forth._

_I get a few gifts here and there from nerdy and shy guys._

_A guy with circular glasses came up to me and nervously handed me a box of chocolate, saying, "H-h-happy Valentine's Day Rima. Be mine, pretty please?"_

_I could only smile at him and accept his gift, then slowly brush past him._

_Ruka, on the other hand, is probably like the Valentine Queen. She steals nearly every guy's heart in this school._

_When you see her go to class, there's like a million guys frantically chasing and screaming after her._

"_Ruka! Be mine!"_

"_Ruka. Please accept this gift of love from me!"_

"_RUKAAAAAA!!!! I LOVE YOU!"_

_Of course, she would have to sincerely accept all the wonderful chocolates, flowers, cards, balloons, and other gifts—I'd help her carry some of the stuff._

_Ruka is usually expecting one gift on Valentine's Day from her man—Akatsuki. It's different every year. Did I mention that we've all known each other since like forever?_

_I wonder what he'll be giving her this year._

_So, we are walking along the corridors of school when we spot Akatsuki, the orange hair man with a firmly built body, leaning against the wall with a beautiful, red rose in one hand and something behind his back._

_He was actually sniffing the rose—a rather weird sight._

_"Eeep!" Ruka squealed and started twirling with her hair flowing gracefully after her, "there he is!"She ran up to him._

_My eyes trailed after her, watching Akatsuki give her the rose and a red box. _

_Ruka looked at him with delight and hugged him…what a sweet sight._

_Then somebody taps my shoulder and I swiveled on my heel to see Shiki. _

_My heart jumps to an extremely high rate that I think would be dangerously fatal if Ruka hadn't come to me and say, "Rima, you can keep those gifts. I already have mine."_

_"Huh?" I snapped out of my panic attack and looked back at Ruka who was smiling happily at Akatsuki, both of them fading away from Shiki and my vision._

_"Rima," a lower voice said._

_I turned my head yet again and faced Shiki who was grinning._

_"Y-yeah?" I asked, a bit hesitant. _

_"This is for you," he handed me a beautiful, white rose._

_"Why, thank you so much Shiki!" I nearly jumped into him to hug him._

_"Oh, no need to thank me, it's from one of your classmate, you know Sai, the guy with the blue hair and exotic purple eyes? The lanky guy?" Shiki asked. _

_I nodded._

_"Yeah, he was too shy to give it to you. So he asked me to give it to you instead…"_

_"Oh," was all I said._

_It didn't surprise me that Shiki wouldn't be the one to give me the rose…but I wish it was from him. Would I be ecstatic… _

_"Why?" he suddenly asked then continued, "Was Rima expecting something from me?" he grinned and twitched his eyebrow._

_"No! I wasn't!" I lied, turning my head away from him as my cheeks were starting to heat up._

_He laughed, "Sure Rima. I bet you were expecting something since you know, we're buddies and we model together and all."_

_I kept quiet._

_"But since you want something, here," and he pecks me on the cheek._

_I turn as red as a tomato and he walks past me, laughing his head off as he waves behind him, "Bye Rima! Happy Valentine's Day!"_

_How sweet of him…_

**Review and thanks for reviewing guys xD Sorry if it was short. I just wrote this on the top of my head...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hehehe ^^ Here is what I've got. Just to make things clear, this is still a diary entry. I don't want you guys to be all confused _**

_This Dance_

_Tonight is the big night—senior dance. It was held in this fancy building with glamorous decorations and pretty crystal lights suspending from the ceiling. The hallway had a nice red carpet and the walls were colored creamy white with patterns of seashells. _

_There were several of long, white tables which held drinks, snacks, and desserts of different assort._

_I arrived to the building with Ruka and Akatuski._

_Ruka was extremely excited and was eager to dance on the spotlight with her amazing man._

_"Rima, I'm going to dance," Ruka said, hooking arms with Akatuski._

_"All right, I guess I'll grab a drink," I simply said as I started turning away from her._

_"Okay. See you around," Ruka waved at me._

_I made my way towards the table and surprisingly met up with Shiki who happen to be helping himself with a drink._

_"Hey," he smiled at me._

_"Hey," I automatically replied, "did you just get here?" I asked as I got myself a glass of apple cider._

_"No, I've actually been here for a while," he answered, taking a few sips from his glass._

_"Oh? Are you having fun?" I looked at him curiously._

_His smile grows wider, "Definitely. The ladies I've danced with are incredible." _

_I swear when he said that a spark glimmered in his eye._

_"That's good," I nodded, sipping some of my apple cider. _

_It tasted refreshing to my mouth…the coldness of it tickled my tongue and throat._

_While enjoying my drink, I watched Ruka and Akatsuki dance. They looked fabulous and wonderful out there on the floor; Ruka spun and twirled gracefully along with her hair and dress while Akatsuki danced strongly, indefatigable from every step and motion they did._

_They looked like the people in the music box and certainly, tonight the spotlight was theirs as everyone watched and cheered them on; they were the shining stars._

_"Whoo! Go Ruka and Akatsuki!" people shouted and did the wave._

_She smiled at the audience and Akatsuki did the same._

_Then someone behind me rested a hand on my shoulder. _

_I whirled my head to see Shiki who suggested, "Come on! Let's dance."_

_Before I had a chance to answer, he grasped my wrist and pulled me with him._

_We were both running towards an exit in the back of the building._

_"Hey Shiki," I spoke up while panting, "aren't we going the wrong way?"_

_"Nope, I've got a surprise."_

_We came to a stop in front of a white door and Shiki pushed the door open, revealing a garden and the night scene._

_In the garden, there were bushes with flowers spotted on them along with a fountain located in the center. The fountain was sprouting out water from the middle as the water cascaded three layers down. _

_The luminous light shone above us. Stars were twinkling. I felt like living in a magical place._

_He bowed down and stretched his hand out towards me._

_I slowly slipped my hands into his and he immediately pulled me into him, instinctively grabbing onto my slim waist._

_I gasped and he only grinned in return._

_I placed a hand on his broad shoulder and we started moving slowly._

_I was following his move and we danced around the fountain. I was looking into his soft eyes as his were looking right back at mine. My white dress' loose ends spun gracefully._

_After about ten minutes of silence and dancing, he asked, "Are you having a good time so far?"_

_"It's good," I smiled and he twirled me._

_"It should be," he grinned._

_We danced around the fountain a couple of more times until he told me, "Hey, you know there's a maze in this garden that leads to this beautiful place?"_

_"How do you know?" I gave him a quizzical expression._

_"I got here early, so I get all the juicy news of this building," he smirked._

_"Come on," he pulled my arm and I complied with his._

_Behind one of the bushes, there was a pathway for us to follow and I let Shiki lead me the way._

_The maze wasn't exactly a maze, I mean there was only one direction to go to—there weren't any dead ends, but a lot of twists and turns._

_Shortly after we entered the maze, we reached the exit and the place was exactly what he had described: beautiful._

_It was such breathtaking view. Afar from this place, you could see the silhouette of a mountain. There was also a huge lake with the moon shining its reflection upon ripple of waves along with swans and ducklings swimming in the lake. _

_A tree was nearby the lake as well as a field of daisies growing around the tree._

_We both settled down onto our backs to watch the stars twinkling and dancing in the night, clear sky._

_Despite the silence, I still enjoyed every moment with him. He was besides me watching the stars with me—that's what really matters to me._

_After a few moments, I said, "Thank you for the dance."_

_"My pleasure," he said happily and with my peripheral vision I saw him beaming up at the sky._

_"Doesn't the moon look awfully bright and beautiful tonight?" he asked softly._

_"Sure does," I commented quietly._

_"Just like you," he remarked and nudged an elbow at me._

_Luckily, it was somewhat dark, for my cheeks were on fire. I turned my head to face him and smiled gently. I didn't know how to take the compliment so I said shyly, "Why, thank you."_

_"You know," he shifts his weight so that he's sitting up._

_"Hmm?" my gaze fell onto him._

_He looked down at me and said, "I want to try something."_

_I sighed, "Don't you always?"_

_"Yeah…but this time it's different," he said seriously._

_"Wha--," _

_And he bends down to press his lip against mine. In shock, my eyes widen as his eyes were closed._

_His soft, warm lips were touching mine._

_Then I slowly closed my eyes, allowing the moment to last…_

_It was a wonderful night and not to mention that he kissed me under a tree._

Okay, so I suck at descriptions...but tell me, how was it? Thank you for reviewing guys!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: PLEASE READ: The past few italicized chapters you read were diary entries. So, the kiss with Rima and Shiki happened before Shiki met Keiko. I don't want my readers confused D:. I am very sorry if you were confused D:. Anyway, I present you the last diary entry! :D**

_His Return_

_Everyone is excited about Shiki's return to Japan. It's been a year since I last saw him. We're all waiting at the airport for him, eager to see him as soon as possible._

_"Hey Rima, do you think that he's going to ask you out?" Ruka teased, nudging my arm._

_The thought of that made my face flustered, so I smacked her playfully._

_We saw a lot of people suddenly exiting the gate from France._

_"My Shiki should be coming out soon," I said, looking around for him._

_My eyes saw many unfamiliar faces until I saw a guy with chest-nut hair…_

_"Hey! He's over there!" I pointed while jumping happily._

_"Let's go," Aido said, running towards Shiki._

_We made our way to him and greeted him warmly, "Welcome back Shiki!"_

_"Hey," he smiled._

_We were all so happy to see him that we started bombarding him with many questions._

_"How was France?"_

_"Did you miss us?"_

_"Did you bring me a souvenir?"_

_"What did you see?"_

_"How was work?"_

_"Chill guys," he laughed, "I'll answer those questions later, but first I'd like you guys to meet my girlfriend, Keiko."_

_We looked at him quizzically, appalled by what he had just announced._

_From behind Shiki, appeared a girl who was amazingly beautiful. She was like a goddess…_

_"Hello, I'm Keiko. Nice to meet all of you," she smiled sweetly._

_Still recovering from shock, we stuttered and mumbled out, "Hello Keiko."_

_Did I just hear what I thought I didn't want to hear?_

_His girlfriend, Keiko! Lord! What has this world become?_

_I made a dash, tearing._

_"Hmm? I wonder what's up with Rima," Shiki's eyes followed after her._

_"She probably feels like vomiting…from breakfast!" Ruka lied, "I'll go check on her. See you guys around. Nice meeting you Keiko." She waved and ran after Rima._

_"Okay, bye," everyone waved._

_When I got far enough from the crowd, I sat down on one of the waiting lounges, looking out the window._

_So, he has brought a girlfriend back from France, I thought. I felt so confused. I mean, weren't Shiki and I the perfect couple? I thought that once he'd come back from France, he'd asked me to become his girlfriend…because I thought that he didn't have the guts to ask, so I waited…and waited. And what happens in the end? He comes back with someone else intertwining his hand. A foolish girl I am to think that. Stupid Rima! Ugh, I need to stop daydreaming and hoping for things to come true because I know that they never will. I clutched my fist…_

_"Rima," Ruka came up to me._

_I sniffled and embraced with Ruka, "Ruka! He's back! I'm so sad that he's got somebody else with him!"_

_She embraced me back and patted me gently, "There, there, there. It's all right."_

_"No, it's not Ruka," I mumbled between sobs. "Nothing is bound to change as far as I can see it. She's way prettier than I am and probably smarter than me."_

_"Rima!" She gently pushed me back so that I could face her, "How could you say such horrible things about yourself? I will never accept that from you. You are a wonderful person! You're smart and beautiful too. Don't let her put your guard down. Have some confidence."_

_"But…"_

_"Rima, how long have you known Shiki?" Ruka looked at me questioningly._

_"About five," I answered._

_"Right, I'm positive that you'd understand Shiki more than Keiko does. He will come around, I'm sure of it. Besides, the relationship might break sooner than you think even though we don't know how long they've been dating," she said, trying to cheer Rima up._

_"Hmm…," I thought aloud…_

_Then I came to a conclusion, "You're right Ruka. Their relationship can possibly be temporary."_

_"That's the spirit. Come on, let's go back. And wipe that frown and those tears off your face, okay?" she smiled at me._

_"Okay," I forced a smile on my face._

_We met up with everyone at the food court which is in the airport._

_"Hey Ruka. Rima! Over here!" Takuma shouted and waved._

_We took our seats and Ruka said, "Hey, thanks for the seats."_

_"No problem," Takuma smiled._

_"We've got loads of food on the way. Aido and Akatsuki are lining up," Takuma said._

_"I see," I mumbled, seeing both Aido and Akatsuki engage into deep conversation, probably talking about food._

_"Hey Rima, are you okay? You sure worried me back there," Shiki looked at her with concern._

_"Huh?" I was caught off guard. I didn't even notice his presence there. Keiko wasn't next to him. Odd._

_"Oh, it was nothing. I'm fine," I reassured him then I asked, "Hey, where is Keiko?"_

_"Oh, she said that she has to get settled into her new home," Shiki answered._

_"A new home? She's going to be living here?" Ruka asked a bit shocked._

_"Apparently," Shiki shrugged._

_I turned my head to Ruka and frowned._

_Ruka was only able to do the same._

_"All right everyone! Food is here! Let's all dig in!" Aido and Akatsuki both settled trays onto the table._

_After eating, we all headed back towards our car._

_"Hey Rima, you need a ride home? Shiki asked, seeing that I was going to Ruka's car._

_I looked at Ruka and she mouthed, "Just go ahead."_

_"Sure," I said and walked over to Shiki's car._

_"Bye guys," Shiki and I waved as everyone drove off._

_I slipped into the car and slowly put on my seat belt. Shiki did the same._

_He ignited the engine and then we drove off to the freeway._

_I had so many things to say yet I couldn't express them…_

_"Hey Shiki," I said aloud, "What do you like about your girlfriend?"_

_He seemed a bit surprised that I asked this, but calmly answered, "She's a man's definition of a perfect woman. She's very intelligent, amazingly beautiful, kind-hearted, refined, and has everything that suits my taste." _

_"Why do you ask?"_

_"I'm just wondering," I sighed, "How did you meet her anyway?"_

_"Modeling was how I met her. So, I had to do this shoot one day with another model but that model wasn't there, so she was replacement for her and we've been talking since," he explained._

_"Was it like love at first sight?" I asked hesitantly._

_"Actually, I don't quite remember but I do recall being very fond of her," he smiled brightly._

_"I see…" my voice trailed off._

_"Is there something wrong Rima?" he asked, darting his eyes at me._

_I avoided his gaze and stared ahead of me, mumbling, "It's nothing Shiki. Like I said I'm just curious and it's been awhile since we've talked."_

_"Oh, that's right. I forget. Sometimes, I feel like you guys already know everything going on in my life," he laughed at himself._

_"Hmm…do you like modeling with her? Do you plan on continuing modeling with her?" I asked._

_"Why, of course!" he exclaimed, "I'm just excited about what's in store for us in the future. Who knows what will happen? Life is a mystery."_

_"It certainly is," I gritted through my teeth sarcastically._

_"Well," Shiki drove close to my house, "here we are."_

_I undid my seatbelt and opened the door, thanking him, "Thank you for the ride Shiki."_

_"No problem, take care. I'm going to check up on Keiko," and he drove off._

_I stood there, thinking, 'all he worries about is Keiko.'_

_That's right…she's the love of his life. There's no way to stop the force of love. Shiki's love for her will probably be endless._

_I guess I have no choice but to wait for tomorrow…and prepare for whatever is in stored for me._

**I would like to thank you for all of those who have been taking their time to review. Every one of them makes me happy :D. Again, this is the last diary entry :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: THis is the moment you've all beening waiting for. MUAHAHAHAH. xD Thank you for reviewing my last chapter guys! HOpe you enjoy this one :D**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these VK characters**

Disregarding sleep, it was soon enough sunrise but he kept reading…remembering and reliving his days with Rima. The days that suddenly made his heart throb wildly. _What is this feeling? _He thought as he continued flipping and scanning through her entries.

All these entries were like a collection of their life—their memory…which no one else can have. He read on about their holiday moments, the day they engraved their names on a tree, and so much more…

"How could I have completely forgotten this?" Shiki asked himself, racking his brain in his attempt to search for an answer.

"What happened during that time in France with Keiko? Had something gone wrong at that time? Because…ugh…" He clasped onto his head and gritted his teeth.

"I don't...understand. How could I have experienced oblivion of memorable moments that are nearly impossible to forget?"

Suddenly, somebody's heels clicked and alarmed Shiki.

It was Seiren, standing there looking a bit bored.

"Hey Shiki," she greeted, walking over to Rima.

"Hey Seiren, you finally came," he forced a smile.

"Heh…how is she anyway?" she asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Doctors and nurses say that she is physically fine, but mentally we don't know her state," he sighed and leaned forward in his chair.

"I see…" Seiren said.

"Hey Seiren, do you think it's possible to have memory lost overseas?" Shiki asked suddenly.

"No…I don't think so. Why do you ask that?" She raised an eyebrow at him and looked at him confused.

"Well, hear me out. I know this may sound ridiculous but I think I might have forgotten Rima," Shiki whispered the last part of his sentence.

"Um, Shiki. Hello? You know her? You even called me to come see her," Seiren reminded him.

"I didn't mean that. I think I have forgotten the relationship I had with Rima," Shiki narrowed his eyes to the floor, looking a bit depressed.

"Relationship? Interesting…you two were dating or something?" She questioned.

"I can't say we were dating but we were awfully close to each other. Theoretically speaking, you can say that we were dating," Shiki replied.

"And," Seiren looked at Shiki curiously, "how did you forget that relationship with her?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" Shiki gritted through his teeth.

A moment of silence filled in the room.

Then Seiren suggested, "Why don't you take a breather for a while and take a walk outside?"

"Good idea, I haven't had fresh air for like a day now," He got up and left the room.

_Now is a good time to sort out my thoughts. _He thought as he exited the hospital and began roaming around the campus.

_Okay, I remember the day I departed Japan. My arrival at France…and a few days of modeling…then I met her but there is something missing in the picture. How did I suddenly fall in love with her? Because the next thing I knew, I was in love with Keiko. _

As he was ambling and refreshing himself, he saw a gift shop ahead of him.

Planning to get some gifts for Rima, he went inside.

"What should I get?" he mumbled, looking around the store.

"Good Morning Sir, how may I assist you on this lovely day?" one of the workers asked.

"I want to get something for a good friend of mine. She's unfortunately in a slumber and I want her to wake up soon," Shiki told the lady.

"Hmm," the lady rubbed her chin for a second, "You can get some flowers and a card."

"Ehh…it sounds too original, but I guess it will work," Shiki agreed with her suggestion and immediately bought the items.

Returning to the hospital and into Rima's room, he saw his gang of friends surrounding her bed.

"Hey," he walked in, "what's going on?"

"Rima has shown some sign of movement," Seiren explained.

Shiki was delighted to hear this and rushed over to Rima, shoving his friends aside and settled down the gifts.

"Rima! Are you there? Wake up!" he shook her violently.

Ruka scoffed, "Shiki stop. You can't force someone to wake up from a coma so soon." She pulled him away from Rima.

"But…didn't Seiren just say that she showed some sign of movement?" Shiki asked, confused.

"Yeah well, she said that it's what she thinks she saw," Takuma answered while rubbing his chin.

"Guys, I'm bored even though I'm concern about a friend's condition. I need some girls to entertain me. I can't sit around all day," Aidou complained.

"Well, then go and do whatever pleases you," Ruka snapped.

"Chill, geez. I was joking," Aidou pouted.

"It's no time to be playing around," Akatsuki reminded his cousin.

"Sigh, all we can do is sit and wait…" Aidou blew some air and sighed.

Suddenly, low moaning noises were made and it certainly didn't come from Shiki or his friends.

Everyone's eyes fell onto Rima whose hands were making wiggling movements.

They all looked at her and all at once started shouting.

"Rima! You there?"

"Hey, are you okay?"

"We know you're awake. Stop fake sleeping."

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty."

Among the screams and shouts, her eyes fluttered opened.

Rima's eyes showed a sign of fear as she looked at her friends who stared at her with gaping mouths.

"Oh my god! Rima, you're alive and…awake!" Ruka screamed and hugged her friend.

"Hey Rima, welcome back," Seiren smirked.

Rima smiled back in return.

"Nice to have you back Rima, don't scare us like that anymore," Aidou grinned.

"Rima, glad you're back," Akatsuki patted her shoulder.

"Well Rima, I'm happy to know that you're with us again," Takuma smiled cheerfully.

Rima didn't answer to any of the remarks they made, she only smiled at every one of them as her eyes looked at them curiously.

"Hey Rima? Are you okay?" Ruka asked softly.

The room went dead silent.

Then Rima said flatly, "I've never been better."

"Are you sure?" Ruka observed Rima closely, touching her forehead.

"Positive," Rima confirmed.

"Then," Aidou started, "could you tell us why you decided to jump off the bridge?"

Rima narrowed her eyes to the bed sheets and quietly said, "It's a mistake guys. I didn't jump off the bridge with intention. I just slipped."

"Slipped?" Seiren asked.

"Yeah, I lost emotional control at the bridge…" Her voice trailed off.

"Why were you even there in the first place?" Takuma interrogated, eyeing at her steadily.

"Personal reasons," Rima sighed, "I don't really want to discuss them."

"Takuma, you don't even have to ask. You can just read it off her diary and get your answer there," Shiki informed him.

Rima darted her eyes at him and asked angrily, "_Read my what_?"

"Nothing. Rima, look I have something to say to you," Shiki went up to her and seated himself on her bed.

"I don't want to hear it," Rima said coldly and turned her head away from his.

"But…," Shiki's eyes were fixated on Rima's face, "Rima, I'm sorry. I just want to tell you that I've been a fool to fall for Keiko."

Rima's ears perked up and she averted her gaze to him, asking him, "And what made you come to realize this?"

"Nevermind that! But Rima, I've always wanted to tell you that I'm in love with you!" Shiki grabbed her wrist and intertwined one of his hands with hers.

Her face remained stoic by his words and actions.

"Rima, I know a 'sorry' can't make up much for all the pain I must have caused you, but you have to understand—,"

"Shiki," Rima tried shrugging his grip off her, "I'm sorry. But my love for you is gone."

Overwhelmed and frazzled, Shiki asked painfully, "What about those memories we shared? What were they to you?"

"They were mere memories of life. Love had nothing to do with it," She responded darkly.

"Rima.."

"Don't talk to me," she used a pillow to muffle a cry.

"Rima…," Shiki tried again, "please don't do this to me. I know somewhere inside you your love for me hasn't disappeared yet."

"No. Shiki, the love has vanished permanently. Just face the truth. I will only see you as a _friend_, not as a boyfriend or whatsoever."

Every hurtful thing she said to him stabbed his heart a million times with every blow slicing deeper into his heart…he felt like he was on the edge of death. Seeing his once sweet Rima turn to this…cold Rima pained him the most.

"Takuma," she called.

He raised his head and asked, "Yes?"

"Come here."

Without asking, he goes up to her and she did the most unexpected.

She kissed him on the lips.

The sight of that nearly blinded Shiki. He bounced back and nearly lost his footing. Then he grew teary, "Rima. You wouldn't. Stop forcing yourself."

"Shiki, my heart has changed. I like Takuma," she cracked, covering her face with a pillow once again.

"No. I won't accept it!" Shiki shouted fighting back tears as he once again tried to grab her.

Takuma interfered and said, "Shiki. Calm down!"

"Quit being stubborn…what has been done is done," Ruka scolded at Shiki.

"Takuma! You freakin! Oh my god," Shiki said, exasperated and threw a fist at him.

Rima seized Shiki's arm, "Stop. Just get out of my sight Shiki. I can't stand you anymore."

Not able to tolerate this madness anymore, Shiki did what Rima said and made a run for it.

**Don't get mad at me :D Review please.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the late update, I had a lot of school work to do and there were so many exams to take T_T. Ah well. Enjoy this one guys even though not much happens D:**

Shiki ran. He ran for his life.

He hopped into his car and drove at full speed--being reckless on the road was his thing when he was with distraught for he swerved and many cars beeped their horns.

A wave of relief crept upon him when he returned home and found Keiko sitting on the couch. She had a worried expression worn on her face—her eyes wouldn't stop flickering around, her pale skin seemed to have undergone a transformation for it looked wrinkled and old in this beautiful morning, and when she spotted him, she immediately spoke.

"Shiki, my love, where have you been?" she asked quietly with a hint of concern in her voice.

"At the general hospital," he responded and took a seat next to her.

"For what?"

"A friend decided to commit suicide," Shiki sighed.

"That's awful!" Keiko gasped as she used a hand to cover her mouth.

"I know, huh?" he narrowed his eyes to the ground and started contemplating.

Then they both fell into silence.

Keiko eyed at Shiki curiously, wondering what's running through his mind.

"Keiko, you'll always love me no matter what, right?" Shiki asked suddenly, looking seriously into her gray eyes.

"With all my heart and soul. Why do you ask?" she looked at him curiously.

"It's nothing," Shiki couldn't help but grin at himself as he buried his face into his hands.

"Okay…" Keiko responded, a bit perplexed by what he meant.

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Back at the hospital…

"Rima, what was that all about?" Ruka asked furiously, placing her hands on her hips as her eyes raged with fire.

"I don't love him anymore. My feelings have changed, that's all," Rima simply responded, looking at Ruka with soft eyes.

"Feelings that don't belong to Takuma," Ruka retorted and pointed sharply at him. "Don't take it personally Takuma, we all love you as a good friend, but Rima. I know _damn_ well enough that your heart still longs for Shiki's love," she went up to Rima and seized her by the shoulders, holding onto to them roughly.

Rima remained quiet.

"Rima! What the heck is wrong with you?" she shook her in a demented manner. "Lord, could that jump have possibly made you love-lost?" Ruka shouted to the ceiling. "And all this time I was crying and praying for your awaken, only to be returned with a cold attitude of yours. You know what Rima? It's over." Ruka released her grip and stalked out of the room.

"Rima, go apologize to her," Akatsuki told Rima quietly.

Rima just remained still as a doll. She didn't know what to tell Ruka or any of her friends anymore. She was just as confused as herself and what to do with her life. What did she truly want anyway?

"No Akatsuki, Ruka is right. It's over…forever," Rima smiled darkly, regretting that she was even saying that at all.

"Rima, I don't believe it," Akatsuki sighed and strolled out of the room, going after Ruka.

"Well, I might as well follow the rest of the gang," Aidou dismissed himself.

Only Seiren and Takuma stayed behind with Rima.

A few minutes later, a doctor came in, a bit surprised to see Rima awake.

"Goodness! You're awake. That's great!" the doctor exclaimed as he settled the clipboard onto the white drawer. "Rima Touya, I have some matters to discuss with you."

"I know. Go on. Tell me what I don't want to hear," Rima lowered her gaze to the ground.

"After that fall, your condition has grown to a weaker state. If you know what I mean," the doctor informed Rima.

"Yes. I absolutely understand," Rima nodded.

"Therefore…," the doctor proposed, "I want to give you an oper—"  
"No. Don't," Rima interrupted him. "Just leave it as it is. God has clearly decided to make me this way."

"If that is your wish, I cannot oppose to it. But anyway, you can leave this afternoon if you'd like."

"Thank you doctor," Rima smiled at him as he got up to make his leave.

"Rima. You have a heart condition? Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Takuma immediately questioned her once the doctor left.

"I didn't want you to know. I don't want you to suffer when the time comes. God knows when. I was just born with a feeble heart…" Rima sighed.

"That's no excuse to be cold to them like that!" Takuma scolded although not harshly.

"Come on!" Takuma pulled Rima. "Get changed and apologize before you really _regret it."_

We drove over to Ruka's hosue.

_Ding-dong…_the doorbell sound prolonged and suddenly the door creaked open, revealing Akatsuki who looked at bit surprised at our presence for his emotionless expression transformed—his eyes widen and mouth was slightly hung open.

"Hey Akatsuki. Where's Ruka?" Rima asked as Takuma poked his head in the house.

"In her room," he gestured them to enter the house and nodded his head towards Ruka's room.

Rima smiled and said, "All right. Thanks."

"Ruka?" Rima knocked the door. "Are you there?"

Rima heard nothing but sobs and sniffles.

"I'm coming in," Rima said and twisted open the door.

Ruka was sitting on her bed with a tissue in her hand as well as many other sheets of tissue scattered around her. She must have done some serious crying, Rima observed.

Rima walked to her wand plopped down next to Ruka and laid a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Ruka snarled, shrugging the hand off angrily.

"Ruka," Rima started saying calmy, "I understand why you're angry. There's no one to blame but me. I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I know you want what's best for me—my happiness. But I just never had the guts to tell you why I said what I said. I have a heart condition Ruka and I don't know when I will be leaving this world."

Ruka's anger subsided and her face grew into a shocked state.

"You what?" she asked, startled.

"I've known about it for many years and every day I live. Every second…I grow weaker. That's why I was being cold earlier. I didn't want anyone to suffer."

Ruka whirled her head and held Rima by the shoulders and shook her lightly.

"Why didn't you say so?" she asked emotionally.

"…."

Ruka frowned at Rima's silence then hesitantly questioned her quietly, "What about…Shiki?"

"Let it be," Rima said. "He's got Keiko." Tears started swimming in Rima's eyes.

"Hmm…silly girl," Ruka hugged Rima. "It's okay; we'll all be here for you until the end." Ruka patted Rima gently and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"Thank you Ruka," Rima closed her eyes and a tear streamed down her pale face.

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Shiki was driving Keiko to a hotel where she would be staying for a week because of important business when he spotted someone who looked like Takuma and he was in the car with Rima who was laughing.

Shiki grew confused and wondered where they were heading towards. Desperate, he veered lanes to follow them.

"Why are we changing lanes?" a soft voice asked, Keiko, looked at him with a quizzical expression.

"_Damn…_I forgot that Keiko has a meeting to attend to," he muttered under his breath then said apologetically to Keiko, "Oh sorry, I was thinking about something." He laughed nervously.

Keiko only blinked at him then broke into a teasing grin, "Now. Now...don't stress yourself out too much." She patted him gently on the shoulder and touched his soft chest-nut hair lovingly.

"I know," he forced a smile.

"Well, we're here," Keiko announced as she looked out the window at a black building.

"Yeah…," Shiki said softly but deep inside he felt like an urgent need for Keiko to leave the car. He had to see Rima.

"I'll see you next week, hon?" Keiko eyed at him and Shiki nodded then she pecked him lightly on the cheek and left the car.

After that, he speedily drove to Takuma's house where Takuma appeared to be home alone.

"Where's Rima? Wasn't she in the car with you?" Shiki asked in confusion.

"Well…she was when we were going to Ruka's house…," Takuma trailed off. "How did you know I was driving her?"

"Never mind about that but where is she?" Shiki disregarded Takuma's question.

"I don't know…she said she had to go somewhere," Takuma held his hands and shrugged.

"Okay thanks Takuma," Shiki answered then waved.

"Bye," Takuma waved back.

Shiki had a feeling he knew where Rima is. He ignited the engine and drove around the road briefly and nonetheless she was where he had suspected. She was at their spot…where they had engraved their initials on a tree…

**Thanks for reviewing guys xD Just keep them coming :D**


	10. Our Spot

**A/N: Yay another update. Whoohoo. I know this is like a filter D:**

_When one feels down, the other somehow always appears at your most depressed moment._

The sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon line as the sky grew pink and fluffs of orangey and light purple clouds floated and drifted through the air. Rima sat down by a pond where it reflected the clouds up in the sky and the pond rippled as the frogs and swans swam by. Around her were patches of white daisies and big, tall trees growing profusely, reaching up for the sky.

She hugged knees to her chest and then laid her head on top of her knee, reminiscing the days in which she and Shiki had been here. A gentle breeze blew against her hair, tickling her skin ever so slightly.

"For now," she sighed in sadness, "I can only pretend to be with him and relive my memories with him….not in reality."

She cocked her head up so that she'd faced the pond and she gazed beyond with a dull expression. Swans were swimming along with each other, gracefully, and the frogs would jump from one lily pad to another, going to their mates.

"He probably doesn't want to see me again after I said all those hurtful things. I made him suffer…" she choked on her own words as tears started welling up in her eyes. She quickly dabbed them out of her eye and continued talking, "and I tortured myself."

She grabbed a handful of daisies and plucked them off the ground as she let the wind blow them away, watching them fly away, she said quietly, "At least he can live happily ever after…I hope."

In pensive thought, she made a promise to herself to move on forward and to never look back. She needed to learn how to keep her chin high and not to let her friends get agitated about her state. It was something for her to prospect; a new future.

Suddenly, her ears perked up from rustling noises from behind. Her body stiffened then it relaxed as she thought and told herself that it's probably a bird or squirrel. But somebody laid a hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Rima."

She didn't know why but instinctively, her heart began to jump and flutter all over again, but she didn't respond; she sat still like a statue. It's _him._

Shiki took a seat beside her and kept his gaze at the pond.

Neither of them spoke a word, only allowed the sounds of nature flow through their ears.

Rima sat there, mind racing with all sorts of thoughts and questions. She wondered how he managed to find his way here. She threw nervous glances at him which he didn't notice as he sat leisurely, leaning back against the grass.

"Rima," he suddenly broke the silence and turned his attention to the profile of her serious and emotionless face; she avoided the contact.

"It's okay if you don't talk but…I just want you to know that I love you and I'm not loving you out of pity but genuinely from my heart," he placed a hand over his heart.

She didn't seem to be affected by this sweet talk, so he reached over to Rima's soft face and turned her head, making eye contact with her piercing blue eyes. Her eyes widen in surprise and a gasp escaped from her lips.

"Rima, you are everything to me. I don't think I can live a second longer without you," he said seriously and quietly, emphasizing every word. His eyes were filled with much intensity, that it scared her to see him like this.

A shudder ran through her spine as she tore her gaze off him and narrowed her sad eyes to the pond, asking softly, "Why not?"

"Because of everything we've been through together! Don't you understand Rima? I cherish all those moments with you!" he shouted passionately, hoping that her thick-headed brain would get the message. But it was clearly a vain attempt.

"What about Keiko?" she asked stubbornly. "I thought she was your special one." She threw him a hostile glance.

"Keiko…," he sighed and looked down onto the grass, "I don't know. I mean I just suddenly loved her one day while we were modeling. She's great but Rima, you're _better._"

"Is that so?" she retorted. "I'd guess that you'd never feel this way about if I hadn't been sent to the hospital along with my diary entries," she pushed his hand away from her face; she just couldn't tolerate it anymore, all the emotional feelings running through her frazzled mind.

"Shiki, you just love me out of pity. Just admit it. You're just yearning for memories that have been lost through time and which you now desire…" she stabbed his heart with every word she tongued out.

"That's not true!" he argued as he groaned in exasperation. "Rima, what do I have to do— Then he knew…

"I never asked for a favor. Anyway, I'm leaving," she got up to leave but Shiki seized her wrist and pulled her down forcefully, so that her lips were tenderly touching his; they deepened the kiss within seconds. His hand snaked around the back of her head, keeping her close to him as she toppled on top of him.

First, she tried to resist by peeling off herself; an effortless attempt, and then slowly she loosen and let it go…she wanted her last moments with him anyway.

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Later on at night, Rima phoned Ruka to tell her that she wasn't going to be available the next morning.

"Hey Ruka, I'm going out tomorrow with Shiki," she said as she lay down on bed, playing with the fringes of her orange hair.

"You guys made up? Wow, that is a sudden," Ruka said on the other line, a bit shocked, and then shouted, "You go girlfriend! Have fun!"

Rima felt a smile creeping on her lips then she said, "Thanks, I know I will."

Then she hung up.

She could still feel the kiss that had just left her lip hours earlier. She carefully reached over to her lip where they had shared a passionate and memorable kiss; a kiss which she hadn't had in years of her time. With that in mind, she just realized how much she had missed him and how bad she wanted him.

It was plain stupid of her to hurt him in the first place, but now at least they had come together again like pieces of the puzzle with sides that suddenly connected with each other. She sighed and covered herself in a blanket as she turned off the lamp switch.

She thought about the future and what will become of them. What is Shiki going to do with Keiko? She was already engaged to him unless he decides to break it off, and her parents probably wouldn't be too pleased about that. Rima bit her lip at the thought. And there was also her own problem that she had to somehow tell Shiki or maybe she should just keep it to herself, that way no one would be worrying, at least Shiki wouldn't have to.

Putting aside all of her thoughts, she slowly allowed her heavy eyelids to droop and fell fast asleep, hoping and trying to keep a strong heart pumping.

**Review! Thanks to those of you who review. I swear I will list you guys one day :P**


	11. The Memorable Day

**A/N: I'm terribly sorry about not updating. D:. I simply didn't have the time to think about things and was stuck momentarily about how to move forward. But just a few days ago, I had an impulse to write again even though I probably attempted writing this chapter like a billion times. I gave this one my all. So, here's what I've got. I hope you like it.**

Today was the day, the day where she'll have unforgettable memories and also the day where she knew she'd get butterflies and a throbbing heart beating wildly against the cage of her ribs.

She shot a tired look at the mirror and saw faint black bags under her eyes. She almost died right there and then…being that she always had to have face and look attractive, she quickly rummaged through her make-up drawer to search for the cosmetic that'd cover up the dark circles.

Last night was probably was one of the worst sleeps she's had in years, but it was completely understandable because today was the first official date with Shiki.

She rolled around bed all night long, brooding about the next day—the excitement wouldn't stop bubbling inside her. It couldn't be contained. She was just ready for the sunlight to greet her good morning, so that she'd be able to proceed with her date.

After applying some cosmetics to cover up her flaws, more so, make her look a bit more elegant and dainty, she went up to her closet and started flipping through the millions of attire that she owned.

There were too many to choose from, but the clock was against her, so she had to be quick and decisive about it.

Seeing that only twenty minutes was left before Shiki would reach her driveway, she picked up a black halter that fit snuggly and a lovely white skirt with flares at its end.

She wasn't done just yet. There was still her unkempt hair to fix which she carefully combed with a brush, stroking each strand neatly, making it look sleek, silky, and healthy.

Five minutes, she noted from the clock and settled her brush on her desk, grabbed her black purse to search for her secret weapons—the essence of a woman, lip gloss and perfume.

She stood in front of a tall mirror and eyed at herself as she ran a swift hand through her orange strands of hair, mindlessly apply on some lip gloss, then hastily sprayed herself with some fruity scent.

She smiled at herself in the mirror and was satisfied with her reflection.

_Perfect._

Coincidentally, at that time, a car engine pulled up at the front driveway, so she rapidly ran down the steps, hand on banister, then swiftly slipped on a pair of heels, and walked outside of her house.

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, and she saw Shiki waiting for her in his black car. He smiled faintly at her, and she couldn't resist returning the gesture.

She slipped her purse onto her shoulder and made her way to the car fairly quick being that she wanted the day with him to begin already.

"Hey," he said as she slid onto the leather seat of the car.

She eyed at him softly and said smilingly, "And good morning to you."

A small smile crept upon his lip.

As soon as Rima put on her seat belt, Shiki ignited the car to life then veered off to the local road.

At first, they drove in silence, but she didn't mind although it made her uncomfortable and feel awkward.

She stole a glance at his peaceful face—the face that held a masked expression. His blue eyes stared blankly ahead.

Her eyes then rested on the stylish clothes he was wearing and she liked it all—a blue blazer with a white collar shirt along with black jeans. Nothing could be done about his naturally red, shaggy hair, but she actually liked it the way it was. She smiled at the sight.

"What are you getting all _smiley_ about?" Shiki darted a curious look at her then fixated his gaze on the road. He hoped that she wasn't laughing at him for whatever he had done wrong…

"It's nothing," she tried to shrug off the topic, but Shiki wasn't going to let her slide that easily.

"Come on, you can tell me," he sounded very convincing.

"No, I think it's better if I kept it to myself," she couldn't suppress her grin any longer; even biting her lip didn't help.

He shot a glance at the rearview mirror and asked, "Is there something on my face?"

"No, your face is fine. It's not that," she sighed. "Just forget about it, will you?" she pleaded lightly, but internally was growing a bit annoyed.

"I'm not going to stop harassing you until you give me an answer," he said demandingly and stubbornly.

Rime secretly rolled her eyes then directed her gaze out the window as she rested her chin on the palm of her hand—her elbow placed on the arm of her chair.

"So, are you going to tell me?" he asked lightly.

"Um," she hesitated uncomfortably. She was too embarrassed to even tell him or compliment the dazzling look he worn today…that's why she wanted to forget about the topic.

"Is it a secret?" he raised an eyebrow. He was seriously pushing the button.

"Maybe," she said playfully.

"You can _trust _me."

"You really want to know?" she eyed steadily at him.

Shiki nodded.

She shuffled in her seat to get close to his ear and whispered, "I love you."

She laughed quietly and shrunk back to her seat.

His heart stopped beating for a split second. His ears jerked and he almost forgot how to breathe. He had to be resilient though since he was maneuvering the car.

Rima smirked and watched his expression go through a sudden change—from teasing and curious to dumbfound and panicky.

"Hey, you don't have to take it that serious. I was merely playing with you," she patted his broad shoulders gently. "What I meant to say was that you look handsome," she admitted unwillingly, but was glad to have it off her chest.

The car came to an abrupt stop. Cars beeped and honked from behind, drivers stuck their heads out of the window and yelled angrily, but he ignored all of them.

Blocking out the noise, he turned to meet Rima's eyes and held such intensity that she momentarily fell into a trance just by looking at his dull yet beautiful eyes.

Then he did something that he's never done before nor did Rima ever expect— he used the both of his hands to cup her face and pulled her close to him; their warm breaths brushing over each other's skin.

Her heart began to pound. Imaginary beads of sweat started forming on her forehead as her hands felt clammy from nervousness. It was unexpected…and she was jittery about Shiki's upcoming actions. What was he planning? What as he thinking about?

With their eyes locked into each others, she couldn't blink or breathe. Everything about him was so breathtaking. He was as beautiful as the scenery of the sun setting.

"I don't want to hear jokes," his voice was serious as his face had reflected the same attitude.

"When you said that…did you really mean it?" his eyes suddenly softened.

Dead silence.

She only continued to look into his eyes. He did the same but was searching for an answer. He wanted to know the truth. Her true feelings. He needed to know that she loved him back just as he loved her.

She was speechless. Surely, she held a great love interest for him, but she wasn't sure if his love for her was genuine yet. They've only made up yesterday. It was too soon for her to express her true feelings for him. All she could do was bid for the time and wait for him to truly understand his real feelings. She knew he's still in turmoil—everything was twisted and complicated for him with his fiancée and the engagement.

"I…," Rima's hand lapped over one of Shiki's big hand as she gently closed her eyes. His touch was so warm. He was everything and the _only _thing she's ever wanted. A light smile curved on her lips as she said softly and remorsefully, "I was only joking with you."

A thousand knifes stabbed his heart repeatedly, but he wasn't dying. He retracted his hand from her serene face then focused his attention back to the road. He couldn't believe his ears. They must be deceiving him.

"I see," he replied flatly and continued through the traffic.

She shifted back to her seat and frowned out the window, glazing at the numerous cars driving beside and ahead of them.

It must have hurt him for me to say that, she thought. It also hurt her too, but she wasn't sure about his feelings for Keiko. He couldn't simply dump her like that. It'd be heart-breaking and unbearable for the poor girl…

"We're here," Shiki announced as he came to a slow at a parking lot. They were at the amusement park.

It couldn't have been any better. She looked out the window with thrill and eager to go on all the fun rides, she quickly left her seat and went around to Shiki who was just getting out of his seat.

"Come on, I want to ride all of them," she seized his hand and pulled him forcefully towards the park.

He let her drag her. Even though what she said earlier was only a joke, he liked how their hands were linked together and that's all that really matter to him then.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After a long day at the park, the both of them were out of breath and grew languish from pacing around back and forth, trying every single ride available.

Obviously, he decided to save the best and most safe ride for last, the carousel.

They both hopped onto the same pony. It had colorful decorations and had a nice white coating on its surface.

She held onto the pole, and he leaned gently against her back, resting his head on top of her soft, orange hair. His arms wrapped loosely around her neck.

Her heart would have burst out of her rib cage because of his sincere touch. It was both a nightmare and a pleasant dream—something she's been dying for yet wasn't prepared for.

Once the ride started, she tried to calm down and reminded herself to have fun.

"Did you have fun today?" he asked softly.

She looked on ahead and watched the horses ascend and descend then she answered happily as she thought back about the fun they had earlier, "Yeah, I sure did. It is probably one of the best days in my life."

He grinned at the remark and said, "That's great. I had a wonderful time too." _With you_ was what he wanted to say, but he couldn't tell how she would feel about that, so he kept it to himself.

She was silent afterwards and that bother him slightly because he wanted to know what she was thinking about.

"Rima…what are you thinking about?"

His voice broke her train of thought as she transited her focus back to reality.

She was thinking about the possibility of him and her, the future and everything obstructing their relation. She also worried about the unpleasant issues that she will eventually have to face, but she tried put them aside in her brain, pretending and ignoring its devastating existence.

"I was just in a daze," she hastily answered, hoping that he'd accept her reason.

That seemed to have done the trick for he asked lightly, "Oh…is someone tired?" He removed his head and cast his gaze on her.

She yawned in response and laughed, "Seems like it."

"All right, as soon as this ride is over, I'll bring you home," he chuckled.

"Sounds good," she agreed tiredly.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The night breeze felt relaxing and refreshing as it whacked her against the face and blew her hair back.

The stars were out tonight, twinkling and the luminous full moon was too. It was a lovely night with a clear sky.

Nearing her house, Shiki slowed down and sighed, sad that the day has already gone. "Well, it's never that often you have a beautiful night like tonight (and a beautiful lady)," he commented as he threw his head up the sky.

She studied him and then lifted her eyes up to the shimmering stars, watching them twinkle beautifully in the clear night sky. "Yeah," she said.

They sat there for a few more moments until Rima decided that it was time for her to go home.

She swung the car door open and started to leave when a hand reached out for her wrist.

She stopped in her tracks then whirled her head and met his sparkling blue eyes that held an unreadable expression. She couldn't interpret him then.

"Shiki, what is it?" she asked quietly.

At first he said nothing. He just rested his eyes on her elegant and flawless face. But eventually, words came out of mouth. "I…don't want you to go yet." It sounded so sorrowful.

She widened her eyes, shocked that he said those words to her, but she didn't want to reach to the next level yet. She wasn't ready.

"Shiki…" she said quietly, "I'm sorry, but I really got to go now." She released herself from his grip and slammed the car door shut, beginning to make her way to the front of her house.

He knew that his attempt in pleading wouldn't work on her. He wanted to end this night with the perfect gesture. That is…he was going to surprise her.

Rapidly climbing out of his car, he quietly and sneakily crept behind her as she struggled and fumbled her jingling keys.

"Which key is it?" she sounded exasperated as she tried to put a different key into the hole.

Shiki tapped her shoulder lightly which alarmed her for she gasped at the sight of him.

She thought he was gone by now. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "It's late…you should go home."

"The day isn't over just yet," he checked his wristwatch to find three minutes till midnight. "I want this day to be special for the both of us." He took her hands and stoked it caressingly.

Confused, she opened her mouth to ask what he planned to do but was answered when his lips met her soft ones.

Again with the closeness, she noted, but she couldn't help herself either. He was simply irresistible like a drink. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the passionate kiss.

Yes, they were a couple kissing under the bright moon with the twinkling stars watching.

It was a breath-taking midnight.

So, this is what he meant, Rima thought, smiling happily while kissing him.

He's a man of wonder…as it seemed.

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